Hebrews 2:4

God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.

CONCERNING MIRACLES

The signs, wonders, and powers mentioned in this verse are a plain reference to the miracles by which God throughout history consented to authenticate his message to man. Moses appeared before Pharaoh in a series of astounding miracles; Gideon tested the word with the fleece; Elijah raised the son of the widow; Elijah healed the leprosy of Naaman; and so on throughout the Old Testament; but the miracles of Christ are the most impressive and convincing wonders ever to appear upon the earth. Their utility in achieving the desired result is apparent in the testimony of Nicodemus who admitted that "No one can do these signs that thou doest, except God be with him" (John 3:2). Christ established the principle that the ability to perform a miracle resides in any person who can forgive sins, saying, "Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, take up thy bed and walk?" (Mark 2:9).

Thus, it was in full keeping with the pattern already established by God himself that the new revelation preached unto people through the apostles of Jesus should have been corroborated and confirmed by certain miracles. The very birthday of the church on that first Pentecost saw the apostles speaking with tongues, not the ecstatic jabberings that later embarrassed the disciples at Corinth, but authentic tongues which citizens of many lands heard, each in his own language. Another miracle was the gift of prophecy, exercised, for example, by Paul when he prophesied that all on board the shipwrecked vessel would be spared alive (Acts 27:34). The apostles also had the power to cast out demons, as in the case of the girl at Philippi (Acts 16:18), the power to inflict divine punishment upon the wicked, as in the case of Elymas who was blinded (Acts 13:11) and that of Ananias and his wife who were stricken with death (Acts 5:1-10). Overwhelmingly, therefore, were the confirming miracles establishing the word of the apostles of Christ as being truly that of God himself.

Why, then, have miracles ceased? If miracles were a good thing in the first age of the church, why not now? Perhaps the answer lies in a study of God's dealings with ancient Israel, a study that quickly reveals the temporary nature of miracles. When Israel entered Canaan, the manna ceased; the pillar of cloud and fire no longer guarded them; and the nation entered a new era (Joshua 5:12). The cessation of miracles in Canaan should lead people to expect that they should have ceased after a few years in the early history of the church. Paul said, "Whether there be tongues they shall cease" (1 Corinthians 13:8). The word of God, having been delivered by Christ and sufficiently confirmed by miracles attending the age of the apostles, there was no further need of miracles. Nor should the claims of certain modern religious teachers to the effect that they can do such wonders as those attesting the validity of the apostles' preaching deceive men. Clearly, no miracles of the scope and significance of those the apostles did are being performed by anybody today. They raised the dead; modern healers do not do so. There are also many other points of variance. Therefore, the claims of miracles, even when seemingly authentic, raises a further question of the origin of such wonders; are they of God? Does God's word need confirming again, or can it be that Satan is operating even as the ancient prophecy foretold, "with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved"? (2 Thessalonians 2:9,10). On the basis of that prophecy, and in view of the marked differences between the so-called miracles in modern times and those of the apostolic age, modern miracles must be held as suspect, regarding both their validity and their origin.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit are a part of the perpetual inheritance of the church; but, even here, there are limitations defining the present age as distinguished from that of the apostles. In that age, the gift of the Spirit enabled the speaker to communicate in languages he had not learned, guided them in the execution of penalties upon the wicked, protected them from such things as poisonous serpents, enabled them to foretell future events, empowered them to raise even the dead, and to heal all manner of diseases. Christians today have a measure of the Holy Spirit and spend their probation under the precious influence of that Spirit; but it simply does not appear that they are able to do such things as the apostles did. That such a limitation of the gift of the Holy Spirit is by divine purpose seems probable in the light of its being called "an earnest" (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5), which means a token or a pledge. Further, the scripture that most fully describes the work and benefit of the Spirit in Christians, has no mention at all of any such things described above but dwells upon inner qualities of attitude and character. These are listed as "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22).

This verse concludes the first of the five special passages of exhortation in Hebrews; and the author's plea for faithful adherence to God's word being concluded, he returned to the subject from which he had broken off.